Renowned Chefs, Mixologists, and More Take the 2016 Seattle Wine and Food Experience to New Heights
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: January 26, 2016

What more could you ask for? Bites to tantalize your taste buds, autograph signings and opportunities to win trips pair nicely with West Coast wines and craft beverages!
The Seattle Wine and Food Experience (SWFE) reaches new heights February 20-21. More than 200 vendors including 50 chefs, 500 wines, mixologists, distillers and cider and brew masters come together for a weekend of affordable indulgence and delicious experiences.

Chef Thoa Nguyen of Chinoise Restaurants and Chef Roy Breiman of Copperleaf both winners of Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network, will serve signatures bites throughout the weekend. A new saber competition kicks off Pop! Bubbles & Seafood (Feb. 20) where attendees will turn up the volume in a friendly competition between Chef Thierry Rautureau and Sommeliers Jake Kosseff of Miller’s Guild, Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen of RN74 and Leslie Kelly of All Recipes.
The Seattle Wine and Food Experience Grand Tasting (Feb. 21) is best approached with a plan in hand. Between your sips gather some tips from experts, enjoy photo fun in the Click 98.9 photo booth, pose with chef and winemaker celebrities for your Instagram feed #seattlewinefood and enter to win your next getaway.
At the first stop, Dustin Haarstad, founder of Blind Tiger Cocktails and mixologist at Cannon Whiskey & Bitters Emporium in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, debuts a signature cocktail in the Celebrity Cruises Modern Luxury Lounge. Imagine yourself on board Celebrity Cruises and enter to win a 7-day Alaska cruise.
Local celebrity Tim Kennedy, yes, the guy who started Tim’s Chips has carved out an hour to greet fans and autograph limited edition bags of Tim’s chips to commemorate the brand’s 30th anniversary. Don’t forget to enter a chance to win your one-year supply of Tim’s chips.
Check out the magic between Stella Artois and the American Lamb Board’s Brews & Ewes experience.
Chefs prepare beer friendly lamb dishes to pair with IPAs, Belgian style pale ales and golden lagers. The chef and menu line-up includes:
• The Georgian Chef Gavin Stephenson – smoked lamb meatballs with celeriac gnocchi
	• Frolic Chef Adam Stevenson – soy and ginger braised lamb with sesame sticky rice cake and
	  lemon grass curry aioli
	• Trellis Chef Brian Scheehser – lamb pastrami on a pretzel crisp with sauerkraut and mustard
	• Uli’s Uli Lengenberg – a hand-crafted lamb sausage
New features food-wise this year include Nicky USA Wild About Game exotic meats with Chef Jonathan Sundstrom of Lark and Chef Seth Fenald of Novelty Hill/Januik Winery and Alaska Seafood sustainable seafood prepared by Chef Thoa and Leslie Mackie of Macrina Bakery.
Love to travel? Spend time grazing in the Northwest Travel Experience where you’ll find Northwest destinations from Alaska to Oregon showcasing culinary tourism. Explore wine from the West Coast with well-marked areas for Washington, Oregon and California. In the QFC Advantage Reserve Lounge Wine Stewards are standing by to pour more than a dozen hand-selected wines including Spring Valley Vineyard’s Frederick Red Blend, Tenet The Pundit Syrah and Clos du Bois Chardonnay. Start planning your next trip to wine country at this year’s featured region showcasing the craft beverage and food scene from the Yakima Valley. Capture the flavor of this booming region and meet the personalities as you enter to win a two-night get-a-way courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism.
“We’ve added some terrific new experiences this year,” said Jamie Peha, event producer and president of Peha Promotions. “The weekend is much more than a tasting. By working closely with our vendors we create unique ways for our guests to deeply engage with a variety of select offerings.
Back by popular demand: Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Challenge, Northwest Wine Academy Wine School, Heritage Meats Butchery Block and the Distillery Walk.
Get the most out of this tasting weekend and attend both events with the SWFE Weekend Pass on sale at seattlewineandfoodexperience.com. This is a 21-year or over event, all admitted must have a valid I.D. No children or babes-in-arms will be admitted.
DETAILS
 POP! Bubbles & Seafood
	Where:    McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109
	When:     Saturday, February 20, 2016
	Hours:     6 - 9pm
	Price:      $75 per person
Seattle Wine and Food Experience - Grand Tasting
	Where:     Seattle Center Exhibition Hall 300 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109
	When:      Sunday, February 21, 2016
	Hours:      VIP: 12 - 5pm / General Admission: 1 - 5pm
	Price:       WEEKEND PASS – SWFE VIP and POP!: $140
	                VIP: $75
	                General Admission: $60

About Seattle Wine and Food Experience
	The Seattle Wine and Food Experience is a deluxe showcase for wine, beverage, food and lifestyle in the Northwest featuring more than 500 wines from the Northwest and beyond. For a complete list of participating vendors and the wide variety of products to sample at this years event, please visit seattlewineandfoodexperience.com.
About Les Dames d’Escofier Seattle
	The event benefits Les Dames d'Escoffier Seattle, a 501c3 non-profit organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy, and philanthropy. Les Dames d'Escoffier Seattle focuses on raising funds for scholarships for women in the culinary, beverage, and hospitality industries, and also supports community-outreach programs and sustainable-agriculture projects based in Washington State.
	Twitter: @seattlewinefood Facebook: /seattlewineandfoodexperience
	Instagram: /seattlewinefood